Tuesday, August 9, 2016

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit my favourite shop in Sta. Cruz, Manila. I was able to score some vintage postcards for my friends. My friends who have been reading my blog are not new to my weird hobby of collecting used postcards. I rummaged the dusty pile of postcards of the store, in the hope to find another used postcard. I sought the assistance of the store owner, only to discover that even the owner is not aware of the used postcards. While I appreciate the usual discount they give, I sometimes thought of leaving my number and requesting them to keep all used postcards. But I guess they will not manage do it because I'm not someone who spends a lot during my visit. Nevertheless, I'm already happy and contented on the times whenever I'm able to score used postcards.

Unlike the previous postcard, this one is older but appears to be "younger" or I should say, well preserved. Except for some minor stain and discolouration, the quality of the card is still good.

The sender and the recipient are obviously both from the field of medicine and health sciences. As it appears, Erlinda Roldan, M.D. is a senior colleague. Both are stationed in the American continent and based from their names, I would assume that they are Filipinos. I hope they are not Mexicans because as most of us know, they have been a colony of Spain as well. Like Filipinos, most Mexican names still bear that Spanish lineage. I will hold on to my belief that the two medical practitioners are Filipinos because the postcard would not have landed in Manila if they were Mexicans.

The message in the postcard was written in January 1982. I wasn't alive yet during this year. (Just to emphasise that I'm not that old. Hahahahaha) The sender, Cesar Viana M.D., is on a holiday in Puerto Rico. If he is really stationed in US, I believe he took advantage of the tropical weather in Puerto Rico to escape the probably winter season in US. But this is just a story I made up in my mind. Hahahaha

I tried to search details about Cesar Viana, M.D. I even had a hard time reading his signature. I can't figure out whether his last name is Viana or Viara. But with the aid of Google, I found more leads about Cesar Viana, M.D. In effect, I assumed that sender's name was Viana.

If the information I gathered was accurate, Cesar Viana, M.D. practices Pediatrics in Puerto Rico. I got these information from this link. Upon checking his educational background, I learned that his education were from a school in Puerto Rico and took residency from two hospitals in USA, particularly in New York. This gave me a layer of mystery. Given this educational background, I have to raise the probability that he is not a Filipino. The chance that he studied in Manila and pursued medicine abroad diminished with the information I gathered. From this link, I learned that he acquired his PR Medical license in 1983. If he was 30 years old when he got his license (the usual for doctors, I guess), he is on his mid 60s already. Almost of the same age as my parents.

I tried my best to find his email address. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any lead. All I was able to secure were office addresses and phone numbers. Phone number is definitely not an option. As for the office address, I'm quite reluctant to send a letter. I would really appreciate if anyone can help me find his email address. This goes with the assumption that he still uses email. I hope so.

By accident, I also found another Cesar Viana, who happens to be a Filipino. Unfortunately, details about this Cesar Viana is not something to like. He was identified as a class "bully" who left a traumatic childhood for author, Allen Kurzweil. When I tracked their ages, discovered a significant discrepancy. I think one can't be a doctor at the age of 21 to 25 in 1982.

Focusing on the recipient, I was so happy to find a compete address. Added to this, I love that most US addresses remain the same over time. Unlike in the Philippines when numbers of home addresses and streets easily change over time. Hahaha With the help of Instant Street View, the recipient's address showed this

As expected, the address pointed to a hospital. In particular, The Brooklyn Hospital Center. I tried searching information about Erlinda Roldan, M.D. Unfortunately, the leads were too limited.

One information from this site, confirmed that she was in the field of Pediatric Endocrinology. This makes sense because the sender appears to be in the field of Pediatrics as well. Another information was from this published research in 1962. The journal that published the research was in the field of Pediatrics. Along the way, I almost missed this co-authored publication in 1958. My information are becoming consistent and valid to each other. But given that the journal was published in 1962, this establishes that the recipient is probably in her late 80s to 90s already. True enough, I was able to land on these census details. She was born in 1927 and passed away in 2009, according to death figures. This sourcealso provides another validation. If the information I secured were true and accurate, my blog post came too late. Sad.

The lone option is to find the sender of the card. Unfortunately, I can't find any leads about his email address and current status. My wish is that one of these days, someone close to Cesar Viana, M.D. can help me inform him about this postcard. Although of course, I'm not sure he would like the idea of seeing the postcard he sent 34 years ago.

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